Meanings
nounladies and gentlemen pl (plural only)
- pluralplural onlyUsed as a vocative to address an audience.
[…] a Master of Ceremonies' words "Ladies and gentlemen" […] interpellates those being addressed as an audience, and one that is differentiated by gender.
1996, “The Cambridge History of American Literature”, in Sacvan Bercovitch, editor, Poetry and criticism, 1940-1995, volume 8, page 408 - euphemisticpluralplural onlyrarePublic toilets: a ladies' room and a gentlemen's room.
There are quays there and lamps and some squares of grass; a ladies and gentlemen, and a cinema.
1941, Joyce Cary, chapter XLIV, in Herself Surprised, page 108
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
Around 1750, the form gentlemen and ladies was more common, but from 1770 the ladies-first word order predominates.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic سَيِّدَاتِي وَسَادَتِي
- سَيِّدَاتِي وَسَادَتِي (sayyidātī wa-sādatī)phrase used to address an audience of men and women
Bulgarian дами и господа
- дами и господа (dami i gospoda)phrase used to address an audience of men and women
Catalan senyores i senyors
- senyores i senyorsphrase used to address an audience of men and women
Chinese Mandarin 女士們，先生們 /女士们, 先生们
- 女士們，先生們 /女士们phrase used to address an audience of men and women
- 先生们 (nǚshìmen, xiānshengmen)phrase used to address an audience of men and women
- 各位 (gèwèi)phrase used to address an audience of men and women
- 各位來賓 /各位来宾 (gèwèi láibīn)phrase used to address an audience of men and women
Czech dámy a pánové
- dámy a pánovéphrase used to address an audience of men and women
Danish mine damer og herrer
- mine damer og herrerphrase used to address an audience of men and women
Dutch dames en heren
- dames en herenphrase used to address an audience of men and women
Esperanto gesinjoroj
- gesinjorojphrase used to address an audience of men and women
Finnish hyvät naiset ja herrat
- hyvät naiset ja herratphrase used to address an audience of men and women
French Mesdames et Messieurs, messieurs-dames
- Mesdames et Messieursphrase used to address an audience of men and women
- messieurs-damesphrase used to address an audience of men and women
German Damen und Herren, meine Damen und Herren
- Damen und Herrenphrase used to address an audience of men and women
- meine Damen und Herrenphrase used to address an audience of men and women
- Herrschaftenphrase used to address an audience of men and women
Greek κυρίες και κύριοι
- κυρίες και κύριοι (kyríes kai kýrioi)phrase used to address an audience of men and women
Hebrew גבירותי ורבותי
- גבירותי ורבותי (gvirotay verabotay)phrase used to address an audience of men and women
Hindi देवियो और सज्जनों
- देवियो और सज्जनों (deviyo aur sajjanõ)phrase used to address an audience of men and women
Hungarian hölgyeim és uraim
- hölgyeim és uraimphrase used to address an audience of men and women
Icelandic dömur mínar og herrar
- dömur mínar og herrarphrase used to address an audience of men and women
Indonesian tuan-tuan dan nyonya-nyonya, hadirin sekalian
- tuan-tuan dan nyonya-nyonyaphrase used to address an audience of men and women
- hadirin sekalianphrase used to address an audience of men and women
- saudara-saudaraphrase used to address an audience of men and women
Irish a dhaoine uaisle
- a dhaoine uaislephrase used to address an audience of men and women
Italian signore e signori
- signore e signoriphrase used to address an audience of men and women
Japanese 御列席の皆様, 御来場の皆様
- 御列席の皆様 (go-resseki no minasama)phrase used to address an audience of men and women
- 御来場の皆様 (go-raijō no minasama)phrase used to address an audience of men and women
- 皆様 (minasama)phrase used to address an audience of men and women
Korean 여러분, 신사숙녀 여러분
- 여러분 (yeoreobun)phrase used to address an audience of men and women
- 신사숙녀 여러분 (sinsasungnyeo yeoreobun)phrase used to address an audience of men and women
Lithuanian ponios ir ponai
- ponios ir ponaiphrase used to address an audience of men and women
Malay hadirin sekalian, tuan-puan sekalian
- hadirin sekalianphrase used to address an audience of men and women
- tuan-puan sekalianphrase used to address an audience of men and women
- tuan-tuan dan puan-puanphrase used to address an audience of men and women
Norwegian mine damer og herrer
- mine damer og herrerphrase used to address an audience of men and women
Persian خانمها و آقایان
- خانمها و آقایان (xânom-hâ va âqâyân)phrase used to address an audience of men and women
Polish panie i panowie
- panie i panowiephrase used to address an audience of men and women
Portuguese senhoras e senhores
- senhoras e senhoresphrase used to address an audience of men and women
Romanian doamnelor și domnilor
- doamnelor și domnilorphrase used to address an audience of men and women
Russian господа́, да́мы и господа́
- господа́ (gospodá)phrase used to address an audience of men and women
- да́мы и господа́ (dámy i gospodá)phrase used to address an audience of men and women
Slovak dámy a páni
- dámy a pániphrase used to address an audience of men and women
Spanish señoras y señores, damas y caballeros
- señoras y señoresphrase used to address an audience of men and women
- damas y caballerosphrase used to address an audience of men and women
Swedish mina damer och herrar
- mina damer och herrarphrase used to address an audience of men and women
Tagalog mga binibini at mga ginoo
- mga binibini at mga ginoophrase used to address an audience of men and women
Thai สุภาพบุรุษและสุภาพสตรี, พ่อแม่พี่น้อง
- สุภาพบุรุษและสุภาพสตรี (sù-pâap-bù-rùt-lɛ́-sù-pâap-sà-dtrii)phrase used to address an audience of men and women
- พ่อแม่พี่น้อง (pɔ̂ɔ-mɛ̂ɛ-pîi-nɔ́ɔng)phrase used to address an audience of men and women
Turkish bayanlar ve baylar, bayanlar baylar
- bayanlar ve baylarphrase used to address an audience of men and women
- bayanlar baylarphrase used to address an audience of men and women
- hanımlar ve beylerphrase used to address an audience of men and women
- hanımefendiler ve beyefendilerphrase used to address an audience of men and women
Ukrainian па́нство, па́ні й пано́ве
- па́нство (pánstvo)phrase used to address an audience of men and women
- па́ні й пано́ве (páni j panóve)phrase used to address an audience of men and women
Urdu خواتین و حضرات
- خواتین و حضرات (xawātīn-o-hazrāt)phrase used to address an audience of men and women
Vietnamese (quý) ông bà, (quý) ông bà anh chị em
- (quý) ông bàphrase used to address an audience of men and women
- (quý) ông bà anh chị emphrase used to address an audience of men and women
- (quý) cô bác anh chị emphrase used to address an audience of men and women
Welsh boneddigion a boneddigesau
- boneddigion a boneddigesauphrase used to address an audience of men and women
Cite this entry
APA
ladies and gentlemen. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ladies%20and%20gentlemen
MLA
“ladies and gentlemen.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ladies%20and%20gentlemen. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ladies and gentlemen,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ladies%20and%20gentlemen.
Source: ladies and gentlemen on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.